LETTER: The city should reconsider fluoridating our water

Mr. Welton wrote the Mayor of the negative health effects from putting fluoride in our drinking water.  Below, is the Mayor's response and a copy of Mr. Welton's letter.  

Mr. Welton,

Thank you for the article you sent for review along with your request for the City of Redmond to reconsider adding fluoride to its drinking water. I want to assure you that I do appreciate your concern.

Staff and I understand that fluoride has been controversial for many years, with countless studies and activists both for and against the ionic compound being added to water. In reviewing the article you provided, the basis of concerns comes from studies conducted in China on the effect of naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water where concentrations are much greater than 1.0 mg/l.

As you may know, the City’s well water that serves roughly 40 percent of Redmond has naturally occurring fluoride, as most natural water does. A small amount is added to reach a level of 0.7 mg/l, which meets the City’s community fluoridation objective set forth by the Department of Health. Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a news release to recommend a slightly lower optimal level (from 1.0 mg/l to 0.7 mg/l) of fluoride in drinking water because Americans now have increased access to fluoride from other sources such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

Redmond follows the guiding principles of the Primary Drinking Water Regulations to meet the guidelines of the Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The safety and effectiveness of fluoridation of public drinking water has been studied for over 65 years, and the City has been adding fluoride to its drinking water since 1975. (About 60 percent of Redmond's drinking water is purchased from Seattle, and a 1968 referendum vote directed Seattle to fluoridate its drinking water.)

The fluoride used in treatment meets the quality and safety standards of the American National Standards Institute and the American Water Works Association. The most respected health agencies in the world, including The American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, the American Water Works Association, the CDC, and the World Health Association, continue to support this public health practice. The CDC encourages all public water systems to fluoridate to protect people from tooth decay and dental disease. Nationally, just shy of 80 percent of all drinking water is fluoridated.

The City will continue to monitor the research and required standards to see if the recommended concentration of fluoride in drinking water is lowered and will respond accordingly.

John Marchione, Mayor, City of Redmond

###

Dear Mayor Marchione,

First of all, thank you for answering this E-Mail about the negatives of fluoride in our drinking water. I’m skeptical as to whether the any efficacy or safety studies have been performed since:

1) Study after study is coming out, numerous of them I have sent to you in the past, showing the harm that is caused by fluoride including dentalfluorosis and osteofluorosis as well as may be linked to Hashimoto’s Disease causing elevated cholesterol and underactive thyroid.

As a child I was riddled with cavities and had three root canals. As an adult, I continued with issues until I started taking better care of my teeth but still had a cavity or two a year. About 7 years ago I quit drinking city water, quit using fluoridated toothpaste, and started a regular regimen of brushing and flossing twice a day. My first visit to a dentist in well over four years resulted in significantly reduced Periodontal Pockets and no cavities. Yes this is anecdotal evidence but it is the case. I take thyroid replacement medication daily for treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease, my thyroid has returned to normal activity and cholesterol is down significantly. Elevated Cholesterol led me to take Crestor which is a Statin Drug. There are numerous Statin Drugs on the market and they all have the same possible side effect, Type II Diabetes. Since being Diagnosed with Type II Diabetes I’ve quit taking Statin Drugs but I believe it is too late and the harm caused is permanent. So to recap, since being off most of the fluoride in the average American’s life I have less cavities. I have Hashimoto’s Disease that could have been caused by fluoride, the Hashimoto’s Disease caused elevated Cholesterol which caused me to be prescribed a statin drug that most likely caused Type II diabetes.

“Fluoride was used as a drug to treat hyperthyroidism because it reduces thyroid activity quite effectively. This is due to the ability of fluoride to mimic the action of thyrotropin (TSH). Excess fluoride correlates with the other thyroid-related issues such as iodine deficiency. Fluorine and iodine, both being members of the halogen group of atoms, have an antagonistic relationship. When there is excess of fluoride in the body it can interfere with the function of the thyroid gland. Thus, fluoride has been linked to thyroid problems. Patient who wish to avoid the effect of fluoride on their thyroid can utilize fluoride free toothpaste such as Carifree, an oral neutralizer gel.” - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3169868/

2) According to WHO, The World Health Organization, dental cavities have reduced around the world regardless of water fluoridation or not. The would be speculation on my part, but I believe it to be related to more proper brushing, flossing, and regular cleanings at the dentist.

The fact that Tooth Decay is absurdly diminished all over the world regardless of water fluoridation and the problems associated with over-fluoridation being apparent I do not see how the continuous fluoridation of municipal water is ethical. I drink about a gallon a day or in other words, if I drank city water at .7 mg /L * 3.79 Liters or 2.653 mg per day, is this safe? Consider also that virtually processed food, especially soup, made with fluoridated water will have even higher concentrations of fluoride.

The CDC changed the level of safe fluoride for infants a few years ago, which I made you aware of at the time, and they now recommend “To lessen this chance, parents can use low-fluoride bottled water some of the time to mix infant formula; these bottled waters are labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled, and without any fluoride added after purification treatment.” - https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faqs/infant-formula.html. Is the average mother using formula aware of this? How much of the fluoride ingested by the mother ends up in the breast milk of natural feeding mothers.

All of these things need to be considered. The government is a slow moving machine, even slower at the federal level. Will you continue to follow the suggestions of the federal government or will you listen to the study after study that I’ve sent you talking about the ills of water fluoridation?

Regards, Paul Welton
Redmond, WA